Eat and drink too much to relieve stress and hurt your "heart"? Study warns: "High-fat diet" impairs cardiovascular recovery
Stress is considered to be one of the causes of cardiovascular events. If you try to relieve stress by “eating and drinking”, the effect may be counterproductive. “Frontiers in Nutrition” research indicates that consuming high-fat foods may impair the “endothelial function” of blood vessels, thereby affecting the cardiovascular system’s ability to recover from stressful events.
Eat and drink too much to relieve stress and hurt your “heart”? Study: High-fat diet impairs cardiovascular recovery
A research team from the University of Birmingham in the UK recruited 21 subjects aged 18-45 and divided them into two groups: one group consumed a high-fat meal containing 56.5 grams of fat (approximately 509 calories); One group consumed a low-fat meal containing 11.4 grams (approximately 103 calories). The subjects were asked to finish their meals within 90 minutes and then underwent a mental stress test administered by the research team.
The research team pointed out that the purpose of taking the stress test is to simulate the daily stressors that you may need to deal with in the workplace or at home. In addition, the research team also measured specific cardiovascular markers in the subjects before and after the stress test, including blood pressure and “flow-mediated dilation” (FMD) of the brachial artery to evaluate vascular endothelial function.
Comparison of the results between the two groups of humans and horses showed that both high-fat and low-fat diets increased vasodilation, blood pressure, and cardiovascular activity, and impaired the subjects’ FMD within 30 minutes after the stressful task. However, in the group where FM consumed a high-fat diet, FMD was still significantly impaired 90 minutes after the stressful event.
High-fat diet destroys the repair function of vascular endothelium. Eating and drinking excessively and reducing stress may cause 4 consequences.
“We found that when individuals are under mental stress, eating high-fat foods will reduce blood vessel function by 1.74%; and previous research has shown that for every 1% reduction in blood vessel function, the risk of cardiovascular disease increases by 13%.” Dr. Rosalind Baynham, one of the study authors, said.
Dr. Baynham also pointed out that the “oxygenation” (referring to the process of oxygen entering the blood and being transported to tissues and cells in the body) of the brain’s prefrontal cortex was lower in the group that consumed high-fat foods; in addition, high-fat foods The fat group showed more negative emotions during and after the stress test, and there was no significant stress relief effect.
Study author Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten said that everyone is dealing with stress all the time, especially for people who work in high-stress jobs and are at risk of cardiovascular disease, the results of the study are indeed worthy of attention. However, the number of samples in this study is obviously insufficient, and more subjects need to be included in the future to understand how high-fat diet affects cardiovascular health and vascular endothelial function.
Doctors reveal the consequences of being in a high-pressure environment for a long time: “Comprehensive physical and psychological collapse”
In fact, excessive stress can cause more than just cardiovascular disease! Dr. Chen Yi’an, a full-time attending physician in the Department of Psychiatry at Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital, once pointed out in an interview that being in a high-pressure environment for a long time without proper resolution has severe physiological and psychological effects: physiologically, unexplained chest tightness, palpitations, dizziness and headaches, and chronic diseases may occur. Patients with poor disease control (such as diabetes, hypertension) and worsening of gastrointestinal symptoms (such as gastroesophageal reflux, indigestion). Stress can also easily affect hormone secretion, leading to obesity or overweight.
“Some people also eat to cope with stress and relieve stress by consuming a diet high in oil, sugar, and salt. Although it may seem to make their mood better in the short term, long-term “stress eating” will only cause more problems. Huge psychological pressure, falling into a vicious cycle of getting fat and eating too much.”
In terms of psychology, Dr. Chen Yi’an explained that under high pressure, people can easily become angry, irritable, or on the verge of breaking out over trivial matters. People under high pressure find it difficult to relax even on vacation. They are often preoccupied with their daily work, leading to fatigue, insomnia, lack of sleep, or poor mental health. What’s more, it may cause depression or anxiety, and you may become less motivated or less interested in people and things around you; you may also become less willing to do hobbies such as dining with friends and exercising.
Dr. Chen Yi’an reminds the public that if you have any emotional distress in your life, or feel that you are overly stressed and can no longer bear it, you should seek psychiatric treatment as soon as possible.
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